From Archibald McLachlan   Sunday

Sunday – England – No 2

The expenses were obtained thus – 1114 men at 3/. – £52,000 – The number of men, laborers and all, prior to the Reduction was 1114 nearly – a few more came from Ireland after the calculation was made – but not many – I could not tell the pay and expense of Officers –Trig:1 – Instruments – Boundaries – Stationary – Southampton &c &c – but raised the pay of the men up to 3/. and said that will clear all –

1114
3
3342
for 311 – days

And speak in round numbers the expenses is about 60.000 yearly – or was so lately –

One of the gentlemen here told me, that about 8 months ago he knew from the Superintendent2 that the quantity done in Yorkshire was – 600.000 acres, including the towns.

3342
3342
10026
137020
10020
1039362
51.9000

600,000 added to Lancashire = 1.100.000 = 1.700.000 – I conclude that Lancashire was then all surveyed – but did not know you did any of Yorkshire

I will suppose that Lancashire is all done = 1-100.000
Our part of York ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– = 0-800.000
Your part of York –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– = 1.900.000
––––––––––
If the Manchester party has done any of York it has to be added = _________

Because in my calculation the work done by B. & D.3 was 600.000. I said 700.000 to make sure – since that time little has been done to affect the calculation, because of the reduction in the number of men – & the time spent on the towns – Now without knowing how much you have done of York – or how much the Manchester party has done of York – I would calculate in round numbers and say –

Lancashire–––––––– 1.100.000
York–––––––– 1.100.000
2.200.000
Expenses––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– £140.000 = 2/. per acre!!

You will see by this whether I make any awful blunder such as a Million of Acres!! and 60.000 £ – !!

Now stating it as formerly ––––––––––––––––––––––– Acres 1.800.000
Expenses = 120.000£ ––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 2/. per acre –
A very good guess – and we cannot make anything but a close guess – Now I will state it my way to suit the alterations since the above–
Acres 2.200.000
Expenses 140.000£ ––––––––––––––––––––––– 2/ per acre ––

You will see that in both the results are nearly equal, 2/ per acre. And in speaking to the public I should say – ‘The quantity done is in round numbers – 2,000.000 acres – expenses 130.000£ or = 2/. per acre – and if this statement is false, you, gentlemen, can set the public right by stating the true quantities’!!

Suppose I make some awful blunder and instead of the above

It should stand thus ––––––––––––––––––––––– Men = 1114 = 2/6 = £40.000
2 years
80000
20
1.600.000
and at the end of 2 years we have –––––––––– Acres = ––––– 1.600.000

_________________

Monday

To day I have consulted a cool & knowing one - he says we C.B.4 division has done –––––––––––––––– 500.000 acres
and will not be finished in less than 6 or 9 months – Annual cost of all the O.S.E.5 – 50. or 60.000 – yearly. ‘It cant be less than 50 – nor more than 60’ – a year. –
‘C. Dunford6 has done –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 500.000 ac
and won't finish in shorter time than 12 months’
– I say Acid7 has done Lancashire ––– 1.100.000

to be finished in 9 months – (all 6 inch work) –

2.000.000
So if you say 130.000£ – and 2.000.000 acres

you come as near to the truth as the absence of official documents will permit – So you have here all that I can say on this point. – B.8

RI MS JT/1/TYP/11/3807-3808

RI MS JT/8/1/4a

Trig: this may refer to the men employed on the Ordnance Trigonometrical Survey.

the Superintendent: the Superintendent of the Ordnance Survey of Ireland, Colonel Thomas Frederick Colby.

the work done by B. and D.: this probably refers to the work done by the B and D divisions of the Ordnance Survey.

C.B.: Captain B, not identified.

O.S.E.: Ordnance Survey of England.

C. Dunford: not identified.

Acid: a nickname for an unidentified opponent of Tyndall’s on the Ordnance Survey, possibly Henry Tucker.

B.: the pseudonym McLachlan used to avoid detection.

Please cite as “Tyndall0242,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on 30 April 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/tyndall/letters/Tyndall0242